Unwell
by peace4people
Summary: Spencer Reid gets sick in the middle of a case and the team helps take care of him which wouldn't be such a problem if he didn't hate the attention. To make matters worse the team is in Alaska during the winter when the majority of the day is dark.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey everyone, I love Criminal Minds so much but this is my first ever fanfic for it. : ) This story is a little Reid centric but the other characters are definitely in it. Please review if you get a chance, all feedback is welcome.**

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"The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in."

-Morrie Schwartz

Spencer Reid slowly sat up in bed and looked at his watch that was lying on his night stand. At first he thought he was reading the numbers wrong but after cross checking it with his cell phone he confirmed that it was already well past nine. Without a second thought he threw off his comforter and raced into the shower not quiet caring that the water didn't have a minute to heat up.

When he stepped out he looked down on his phone and saw that he had missed a call. Quickly he got dressed and called the number back.

"Hotch." The voice on the other line answered.

"Hey, it's Reid, I'm sorry I must have overslept. But I'm about to leave the house right now, I'll get on the ten o'clock train and…"

"Wheels up at ten thirty; don't be late." Hotchner interrupted Reid and then promptly hung up. Spencer looked quickly around his apartment and double checked that he wasn't forgetting anything. When he was sure that he had grabbed his coffee and everything else he needed he sprinted out the door.

* * *

"Where have you been all morning?" asked Morgan ruffling Reid's hair at sitting down on the seat across from him.

"Well I woke up at nine fifteen; jumped in the shower, got dressed, called Hotch and now I'm on the plane…waiting for you all to get here."

"Uh-huh. You've been waiting for us." Joked JJ as she sat down behind Derek. The two other agents smiled as they waited for the rest of the team to join them. One by one Prentiss, Hotchner and Rossi got onto the plane.

"Nice of you to join us Reid." Aaron said as he looked down at the young boy who looked even smaller in the large white airplane chair.

"I'm sorry; I haven't ever overslept since senior year." Reid looked down his cheeks tinted a slight red with the attention.

"You mean you haven't been late since you were thirteen?" Prentiss asked taking her seat next beside Morgan.

"Twelve actually." Reid quietly corrected.

"I don't care. Try not to let it happen again. Morgan inform Reid about the case, the rest of you start working on a profile. Work with what information we have so far, I want to get a head start on this thing before we get there." Hotch said as he looked at the team.

"Where exactly is it that we're going?" asked Reid.

"If you had been on time you would already know."

"So, what, now I don't get to know? I mean the location could prove to be a vital part of the profile someone from the east usually…" Reid began but for the second time that morning he was cut off.

"Alaska."

"I'm sorry, did he say Alaska?"

* * *

"Hey Pretty Boy, what's wrong?" Morgan asked Reid when he noticed that the young doctor was just staring out at the dark sky.

"It's nothing." He lied as his head continued to pound. He first noticed the dull ache when he woke up – then on the subway to catch the plane he realized it had become a slight throb – in the air it had intensified so much there was no way he could ignore it – now it had become a powerful pain that he was doing his best not to show.

"Well just let me know if you need anything, okay?" Morgan could tell something was troubling him but if Reid didn't want to share he wasn't going to push it; but he wanted to make sure he knew that if he needed something the team would help him.

"I hate Alaska." Mumbled Reid as he picked up his bag and began to follow Hotch.

"Why's that?" asked Emily betting she knew the answer.

"That's weird," JJ said "My phone must be broken. It's saying that it's two in the afternoon but the sun is barely over the horizon."

"Alaska experiences a 67 day long night. It's the longest night in the world…this is why I hate Alaska." Reid grumbled still trying to fight off his headache.

"I kind of like it. I mean it's not completely dark, it's like you're looking at the sun rise for the entire day." Said JJ cheerfully.

"Yeah, except the sun never actually rises, it just stays there lingering." Reid countered and JJ shrugged having no entrance in arguing about how magnificent the view was.

"Focus," came the stern voice of Aaron Hotchner "We need to get to the station quickly and start helping." They piled into two separate cars and drove the thirty miles in silence to the police station. Once there they were greeted kindly and given a room to set up in. Reid took full advantage of the coffee machine they had set up.

"What do we know so far?" asked Rossi looking around the conference room.

"Well he likes to take them in the middle of the day. I mean that's not saying much because it's still pretty dark but there are witnesses outside. That suggests maybe he knows the victims." Reid said with his hands wrapped around his head as he tried to massage the pain out. Suddenly he felt another pain present in his body; the sure sign it was more than a headache. He tried to swallow again but the pain was still there. With each drop of saliva the tightness and pain in his throat became more prominent and undeniable.

"There's a definite pattern with the women he's taken. Look." Emily fanned the photographs out for everyone to see, "They all have dark brown hair and blue eyes."

"It's usually rare to find light eyes with dark hair; it narrows down other potential targets." Reid said his voice sounding a little weaker than usual.

"Alright JJ I want you to hold a press conference and warn women between the ages of 16 to 45 with dark hair and light eyes to be cautious until we catch this guy." Hotch ordered, "Reid and Morgan I want you to check out the first two girls' houses. Rossi and I are going to look at the latest girl's apartment. Emily call Garcia and see if she finds anything weird with the phone records."

"One more thing Hotch, no bodies have showed up yet, that could mean all of the girls are still alive." Reid added as the team began to split.

"I hope so." Hotch said before he and Rossi quickly descended the stairs and got into their car and left the station.

"You okay man?" Morgan asked once they were in the sanctuary of their own vehicle. Reid nodded as he tried to suppress his obvious discomfort.

"I'm fine." Reid smiled but Morgan could see the lie underneath it. He knew they had agreed not to profile each other but anyone could see that something was bothering the boy. His usual pale skin hade a hint tint of red and his hair was matted down to his forehead.

"Reid, what do you think Hotch wants us looking for? Reid? Reid?" Morgan looked over to see the gangly figure slumped over fast asleep. "Kid, you've got to get up." He said gently shaking his shoulder.

"I'm up, I'm up." Reid jumped and looked over to see Morgan looking at him even more concerned.

"You slept in, you drank plenty of coffee and you still fell asleep. Don't lie to me, something's up." Morgan said as he kept his eyes on the road.

"I probably shouldn't have drank all that coffee." Reid grumbled turning away from Morgan, maybe he could try to sleep some more, the first house was a forty minute drive.

"Why, are you feeling nauseous?" Morgan asked concern laced in his voice.

"Not yet but I definitely burned my throat." Reid said peering through one open eye at the driver.

"So you have a sore throat."

"I burned it."

"It's sore."

"Because I burned it on coffee." Reid said defiantly.

"For someone who is so smart you're being really stupid about this." Morgan slightly chuckled.

"What am I being stupid about?" Reid asked defensively.

"You're sick."

"I am not sick. I don't get sick. I haven't been sick since I was seven."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, Trey Porter sneezed on my calculator and I didn't know. Of course nobody cared to tell me that and I went on using it. Two days later I woke up and could hardly move I was so feverish and sore but my mom was having one of her episodes and I didn't have any way of calling myself out of school, so I went. I was participating in a mandatory physical education class when I passed out, they took me straight to the hospital and I waited forty-one hours there until my mother realized I was missing and came and got me." It was hard for him to talk so much. The topic was a hard one to discuss but what made it so bad was that he could feel his throat burn with each word he spoke.

"I'm sorry." Was all Morgan said as he placed a caring arm on Reid's shoulder, "Gah, you're so hot."

"I beg your pardon?"

"I don't care what you say, you're obviously sick. I can feel your fever through your sweater."

"I don't have a fever." He argued but when he realized that Morgan wasn't buying it he decided he was caught and should confess, "Maybe I am, but I don't want everyone on the team knowing. I don't like people knowing when I'm hurt or sick so don't go making a big deal about this. I mean, it's probably just one of those quick colds. I'm sure it'll be gone by tomorrow. Just don't tell anyone…please."

"Kid, if there's something wrong…"

"Please."

"Fine, but if you're not better by tomorrow don't think I'm keeping my mouth shut."

"Deal." Said Reid as he shifted in his chair for the third time and drifted back into a heavy slumber for the rest of the drive.

"Reid?" Morgan's voice cut into his dream, "Do you remember what type of car she drove?"

"The case file said black truck, why?" Reid said instantly.

"Look." Reid did what he was told and instinctively reached for his gun as he and Morgan got out of the car.

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**I hope you enjoyed that. Like I said, all feedback is greatly appreciated. : ) I was smart and got ahead on my writing so the next chapter is already done and will be up in the near future. : )**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews everyone! They mean a lot to me! : ) Here's chapter two.**

"Should we call for back up?" asked Reid as he held his gun tightly in his hands.

"I don't know, it could be nothing and back up is going to take a while to get here. Let's just go in." Reid nodded in agreement, "On the count of three." said Morgan as he approached the door. With his hands he made the sign for one, then two and finally three –

"FBI! Freeze!" Morgan shouted as he pushed the door open.

"Oh my goodness!" came a feeble cry, a small elderly women clutched onto the chair she was standing by; the sudden intrusion had nearly given her a heart attack.

"Who are you?" Reid asked quickly.

"Who are you?" she countered starring at the two strange men.

"We're agents investigating the abduction of Annie Green. Ma'am I need to know what you and that red Honda are doing at this house." Morgan said pointing out the window to a rundown car sitting in the driveway.

"Annie's missing?" Reid nodded, "She hadn't returned my calls but I figured she just left early for her trip. I'm supposed to watch over her dogs and check her mail for her when she's gone. This weekend she was going to visit some family in Washington and asked me to check up on them starting today."

"We need you to leave please, there's an ongoing investigation and you might unknowingly tamper with evidence that could be an essential part of finding your friend." Said Reid as he put his gun back on his belt; an elderly women was not going to jump him and Morgan.

"Alright, please let me know if I can help in any way." She grabbed her purse and was halfway through the door when something made her stop and turn around, "Do either of you happen to be Aaron Hotchner?"

"Excuse me?" asked Morgan stone still.

"Well this morning I checked the mail and there was a letter for someone by that name but no one has ever lived here with that last name." she said pulling out a white envelope.

"Uhm, yeah. Thanks." Said Reid as he reached out and took the letter. The lady smiled, turned around and left the two agents starring at the small letter.

"Do we open it now?" asked Morgan peering at Reid.

"I think we need to give it to Hotch, whoever sent it obviously wants him to see it, if it was addressed to the entire team we could but for all we know he's watching us right now and will do something irrational if Hotch isn't the first to read it." Said Reid as he casually examined the surrounding area wondering if maybe they really were being watched.

"So are you saying we should head back to the station now and abandon this house until tomorrow?" Reid nodded and then began to speak.

"The fact that the bodies haven't turned up tells us that he doesn't want to kill the women, if he wanted to he would have done it a long time ago. The first girl was taken almost six days ago, statistics show that…" Reid began but Derek quickly cut him off.

"I know the statistics of kidnappings, I've only been told them a hundred times. But you really don't think he's going to start killing them? Every second we take could mean life or death for one of those girls."

"Yes, I know that but statistically he won't start killing them now, especially if he's reaching out to us. I suggest we call Hotch and ask him to meet us at the hotel. It's getting late now and it's only going to get darker. Our best bet is to go back now and see if this note will help us any."

"Alright, I trust your expert brains on this one. Call Hotch tell him what's up and we'll meet up at the hotel." Reid nodded and began to cough as he pulled out his cellphone. When Morgan heard the raw cough he gave Reid a questioning look.

"I'm fine. Honestly." Suddenly there was an answer on the other line, "Hotch, it's Reid. We got a letter with your name on it and Moran and I thought we should all meet back up and give it to you at the hotel."

"A letter? Was it at Green's house?" Hotchner asked through the telephone.

"Yes and yes."

"Okay, we'll meet you guys back there. Bye."

* * *

Reid was slumped on the chair in the lobby waiting for the rest of the team to arrive. Morgan sat lazily by the fire place playing with the chess board.

"Did you know you can beat that game in two moves?" Reid's voice was now hoarse and weak sounding, something Morgan was scared to hear.

"You're kidding, right? How?" he asked looking across the room. Reid's thin frame was draped sideways in the large chair, his long legs hung off the side and one arm draped over the side.

"You…uhm…" something was wrong, it was a sensation he had never experienced before "I don't remember."

"What?" asked Morgan unsure of what he just heard but Spencer didn't have a second to answer because the rest of the team came bursting into the lobby at that moment. JJ was the only one missing because the press conference was scheduled to begin in five minutes. Reid jumped up from the position he was in and straightened out his posture so he was sitting up right; the sudden movement caused him to be hit with a wave of dizziness. He blinked a couple of times and the feeling subsided. His vision came back into focus and he was thankful to see that no one on the team had noticed.

"Do you have the letter?" Reid nodded answering the question. He coughed into the inside of his antecubital and hoped nobody would notice. He reached into his pocket and fumbled for the white envelope with the name "Aaron Hotchner" written in cursive on it. Finally he pulled the letter out and with a shaky hand gave it to him. Hotch began reading as the rest of the team sat in silence excluding the occasional cough from the young genius.

"Hey Reid, are you okay?" Emily asked as she looked down at him. He simply nodded knowing that if he verbally answered everyone in the room would hear the strain and hoarseness in his voice. She gave him a questioning look but didn't push the point. It didn't take a profiler to see that the boy was obviously uncomfortable. He was sweating so much so that his hair lay matted to his forehead and she couldn't help but notice how flush his face had gotten.

"It's a riddle." Said Hotchner finally after he had spent several minutes scanning the note, "Reid I need you to figure out what this is saying." He nodded and the paper was handed to him. He studied it for several minutes but the words just looked like markings to him, they had no meaning. He kept looking at the paper in his hands every second he grew more and more frustrated. Suddenly he felt extremely cold, someone must have opened a door and the cold winter air was hitting him.

"Is he shaking?" a voice in the distance asked, it sounded warm and soft to Reid and he wanted to cling onto it but the words were gone.

"Reid?" Another voice, one not as soft but just as far away asked. Suddenly there was something cold touching him and he quickly pulled away from it. He didn't want more coldness; he wanted that warm voice to speak again.

"Reid, can you hear me?" it was the sweet sound again. He tried to see where the noise was coming from but his vision blurred and he felt his body collide with something hard. Then he could only hear muffled whispers.

**A/N: Thanks again for reading. : ) Please review if you get a chance.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Your reviews make me so happy; I can't even begin to tell you! : ) The entire Criminal Minds fanfic community has always seemed really cool and I'm so glad that you guys are just as nice, fun and funny as I thought. And to everyone who gets updates and favorites but doesn't review thank you so much too! : )**

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Everything was fuzzy when Spencer Reid woke up. He tried to think of a rational explanation as to how he wound up in bed but he couldn't think of any, then he noticed there was a strange sensation in his mouth, slowly he let his hands reach up and explore the foreign object.

"Leave it." Came a stern voice from across the room, it was the first time he noticed he wasn't alone. Aaron Hotchner sat quietly in the corner chair reading a newspaper.

"What happened?" Reid mumbled as he laid his head back on the pillow.

"Don't talk." Well it wasn't much of an answer but he wasn't about to disobey an order so he sat silently in bed until Aaron looked at his watch, removed the object from Spencer's mouth and glanced down at it. "Why didn't you tell me you were sick?"

"I'm not sick."

"Thermometer and years of profiling says you're lying." Said Aaron as he gazed down at the ill boy.

"I'm not sick."

"You have a fever." His voice was sterner than before and he could feel himself growing slightly agitated.

"I do not have a fever." Reid countered and then a sudden shiver ran up his spine causing him to shake underneath the covers. "For anything I'm cold."

"I know you're not a medical doctor but even you should know that shivering and feeling cold is a sign of having a fever. I'm not going to argue with you anymore, the thermometer says 102.2 and that tells me you're sick. You don't like that, I'm sorry but we need you to rest and get better."

"You're wrong." He said as he threw back the covers and quickly stood up, the blood rushed out of his head and he could feel himself getting dizzy again but this time strong arms steadied him and gently set him back down on the bed. Reid looked around the room unsure of what he should do or say.

"Hotch?" the boy asked almost whimpering as tears filled his eyes, "I think I'm sick."

"I know." He said putting a sympathetic hand on the boy's shoulder.

"I haven't been sick since I was a kid, I don't know how to do this. I've never been taken care of before; I'm the person who takes care of others." He was trying not to cry, the situation was already embarrassing enough but he couldn't will himself to stop. He could feel the hot liquid building in his eyes, not yet falling but present enough to give them a noticeably glazed look.

"It's okay. The team and I are going to take care of you, we had a doctor come in already and he told us you will be okay soon, it's just a flu bug and the worse part of it will be over in a couple days."

Reid nodded still unsure what he should do. He put his head down and tried to wipe away the tears.

"Have you ever been in a situation that makes you just feel vulnerable? Someone else might have no problem but it's something you are having trouble with?" He asked, his voice shaking.

"What are you trying to say?" asked Aaron not entirely sure he understood what was going on.

"I'm trying to…I just…it's that…I can't remember anything after you handed me the letter. I know it shouldn't bug me but when you can remember every little detail of your life it's kind of mind numbing when you can't even remember how you got in bed." Reid sighed and once again fought back the steaming tears that were building in his eyes.

"Reid that's completely normal. You passed out, Morgan and I carried you up here, we had a doctor check you out and you've been asleep for the last six hours. If you could remember all of that I would be more shocked than the fact that you can't remember." Reid smiled and instantly felt slightly better, "There's a question that I know you don't like but I guarantee you're going to hear a lot more of these next few days: how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine, I guess. I don't know how I'm supposed to feel. It sucks, I feel gross, like I'm being weighed down. My bones feel heavy and tired…is that normal?" he asked panicking; Hotch nodded so he continued, "My headache is still present and my throat is still sore…I think that's it."

"Good."

"That's good?" Reid asked shocked by the answer.

"It can get worse than this."

"I can't imagine so."

"Trust me, it can. How do you not know these things? You're Mr. Facts; Mr. Statistics…how is it that you don't know something everyone else does."

"I don't know. I avoid this sort of thing. I guess you could say I'm a little germaphobic; I don't like to categorize it as a phobia although I realize it's an irrational fear and those are the roots of every phobia. In fact phobias and fears are separated by rational thinking. If you see a rabid dog our instincts tell us to be afraid but if you sit at home afraid that any dog could be rabid and don't interact with them then that's a phobia because…"

"Maybe you should try and get some rest."

"I'm really not that tired, actually I would like to start helping with the case again. I didn't really get a good chance to study that letter but the UnSub is trying to communicate something and I know it's important." Reid looked up to see Aaron glaring at him.

"You've got to be kidding me. Didn't we already have this discussion no more than three minutes ago?" asked Aaron Hotchner now positive that he was agitated with Reid. "You're sick and you're not working on the case until you're healthy. I swear you're worse than Jack when he gets sick. All he does is sleep and watch television."

"I'm sorry. I just want to help."

"You can help by getting better. I'm running out to the store and I trust you won't do anything stupid while I'm away." Hotchner raised his eyebrow and Reid nervously smiled.

"Of course not." And with that weak reassurance Aaron turned on his heels and left Reid by himself. The moment he was sure the older man was gone Reid ripped of his blankets and trudged over to the small desk where his laptop sat. He looked around the room once more, when he was sure no one else from the team was watching Reid quietly opened his laptop and logged onto video chat. Reid saw that nobody was in the frame of the video but hoped maybe the women was still somewhere in the room.

"Garcia?" His voice was both shocking and unrecognizable even to himself. Suddenly Penelope Garcia's smiling face popped up on the screen; however, when she saw Reid's flushed cheeks, pale skin and dark eyes her smile quickly faded.

"Wow, you really do look bad." She said staring at him through the computer.

"I really can't look that bad." He said growing slightly self-conscious.

"Have you looked in a mirror?" He thought about it and after realizing that he hadn't seen himself since yesterday morning decided not to argue.

"A little bit ago Emily called and asked for the phone records of the women that were abducted, can you send those over to me?" he asked changing the topic.

"Can't do that."

"Why? Is there some block on them, that hasn't stopped you before…"

"Nope, but I am under strict orders from my chocolate dipped honey bear to not give you any information on the case." Reid noticed that she had begun typing something on the computer but he couldn't tell exactly what it was.

"Wait, are you serious?"

"The team felt that you might try and go behind their backs and work on this case even when they told you not to…it seems they were right." She stopped typing for a second and smiled into the camera. Instantly he felt guilty but still, he knew those innocent women needed him.

"Garcia send me the file." He tried to sound stern the way Hotch did when he wanted something done but his sore throat caused his voice to crack voiding his efforts.

"Nope." She simply said, he could hear her quickly typing away.

"Garcia I need to see the file."

"Not until you rest. Oh…no…look…ah…" she whispered overdramatically, "it looks like your computer is about to get a virus enabling you to access any information on this case…oh, no…I wish I could help stop it…" and then his screen went black except for three words written in blue: Feel Better Reid.

"But there's nothing to do." He grumbled to himself. Suddenly his phone rang, he was afraid to answer it thinking it was Hotch about to yell at him for calling Garcia but the number was one he didn't recognize.

"Dr. Reid." He answered trying to sound as normal as possible.

"Please, help me, I don't want to do it but I can't stop." The voice on the other line was a whisper and it sounded anxious, scared.

"Hello? Who is this?" but the line was already dead.

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**A/N: More will be up soon. : ) I hope you're all still enjoying this. : )**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thanks again for the chapter three reviews! : ) Hope you enjoy.**

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Not a minute after the caller hung up Reid's phone started to ring again. He looked down at the number and felt his hands go numb. The name of his boss appeared on the phone. Garcia probably called and told Aaron what had happened. Reid knew he was about to get chewed out, but that was the least of his worries.

"Hotch, we have a problem." Reid quickly answered holding the phone up to his ear.

"You're right, we do. You called Garcia and went behind my back on a direct order." Hotch's voice was harsh and made Reid feel worse than ever before.

"Hotch…" He tried to say.

"Reid, I don't think you understand how upset I am…"

"Hotch, listen…" He interrupted.

"No, you listen to me. We can't afford to have you out for long. This case needs you and the longer you keep yourself sick the higher chance is that we won't be able to catch this guy."

"He called me."

"What are you talking about?"

"The UnSub, I think he just called me."

"Reid, listen to me, stay where you are. The team is going to meet in your room and we'll discuss what we know so far." Aaron's voice although strong was softer than it had been. The calmness in Aaron's voice eased Reid until he realized the entire team would see him so vulnerable.

* * *

Within ten minutes everyone was sitting on varies pieces of furniture in Reid's hotel room. JJ sat with her legs crossed in a chair, Hotch wasn't sitting so much as he was leaning against the wall, Rossi and Prentiss sat on the couch and Morgan sat on the foot of Reid's bed.

"What all did he say?" Emily asked as Reid pulled the blanket higher up on his body.

"Well, he said that he didn't want to do it but that he couldn't stop." He fidgeted some more underneath the blanket.

"Stop what?" asked Morgan thinking out loud.

"I'm assuming he's talking about abducting the girl, that sort of plea usually signals that he doesn't plan on doing anything else to them that he hasn't already done." Said Reid.

"And he hasn't hurt them, so he's not going to start." Added Rossi as he flipped through the case file he had in his hands.

"We're assuming he hasn't hurt them." Interjected Morgan.

"Statistically he hasn't hurt them or he would have mentioned that in his phone call or the letter." Countered Reid who looked uncomfortable.

"What are you doing?" asked JJ starring at Reid who was still adjusting the blanket.

"He's wearing his pajamas and he doesn't want you all to see." Said Hotch quickly without looking up from the ground he was staring at.

"Thanks Hotch." Said Reid sarcastically smiling; Morgan let a small grin spread across his face.

"We need to figure out why exactly he took these women. What's so special about them?" said Aaron as he looked around at the team.

"Well we do know that he takes a certain type of woman: dark hair, blue eyes. Maybe they have something else in common." Reid suggested to everyone.

"It's possible, what else do we know about these abductions?" Hotch asked.

"They're in the middle of the day; it suggests he knows the women he takes." Emily began as she took the file into her hands, "They're all single."

"That makes them an easy…" Reid's voice hitched and he let out a loud sneeze followed by a few coughs. JJ winced at the noise while Rossi handed him a tissue. "Thanks. Uhm…what was I saying?"

"Them being an easy…"

"Right, the fact that these women are single means that they're an easy target because it might take a while for someone to notice they're missing." His voice was now so congested many of his words were hard to understand.

"So then why did people report them missing so quickly?" asked Rossi.

"They all had plans this weekend. The first victim was going home to see her family; the second was competing in a dog sledding competition and the third had taken a week off work to go see her boyfriend in Florida. When she didn't show, someone called." After finishing the sentence Reid sneezed again into the tissue and blew his nose.

"Did you say dog sledding?" asked Emily sitting up in her chair.

"Yeah, why? Do you think it means something?" asked Reid who was still covering his face with a tissue.

"It might. I think we need to go back and look at the houses." Said Emily getting up and grabbing her jacket, the entire team jumped up including Reid.

"Where do you think you're going?" asked Hotch looking over at the ailing boy.

"To help." He said, the scratchiness is his throat and his congested nose made the words barely understandable.

"No, you're not. Morgan, can you watch Reid?" Morgan nodded and took his coat off.

"Reid, this time don't even think about contacting Garcia." Spencer sat down defeated. He kicked off his shoes and pulled the cover over himself again. In seconds the rest of the team had left the room.

"Hey Reid?" Morgan asked not looking up from the magazine he was flipping through.

"Hmm?" Reid mumbled without turning towards Morgan.

"Nice pajamas." Instantly his face flushed; when he had gotten out of bed the entire team must have seen them.

"That's not funny." He grumbled feeling rather embarrassed. He sneezed again and moaned loudly. "I hate this. Being sick sucks." He said while rubbing his running nose.

"Dr. Reid the red-nosed profiler had a really shiny nose…and if you ever saw it…you would even say it glows." Morgan sang laughing as he saw Reid's face.

"Shut up Morgan, my nose isn't that red." He could feel his face getting warmer as he become more embarrassed.

"Yeah it is pretty boy. If you rub it anymore it might just fall off." Morgan laughed.

"That can't happen. It is physically impossible for the cartilage in the…"

"Relax Reid, it was a joke."

"It wasn't a very funny one." Reid mumbled underneath his breath. Then, without warning, a weird sensation washed over him, "Morgan, I'm going to ask you a question but I don't want you to think I'm crazy or to freak out." Morgan nodded, "Is the room tilting?"

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**A/N: There you go. : ) Let me know what you thought of this chapter. I'll update soon. : )**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Here is chapter five. : ) Enjoy.**

* * *

"Reid, what are you talking about?" asked Morgan quickly standing up and walking swiftly over to the boy.

"I think I'm experiencing something called vertigo." Reid said as he grasped onto the sheets next to him, "Our enter ear is very sensitive and controls a lot of our balance and the smallest change can make a person think they're not balanced, they think everything around them is spinning or falling. It's rather common, in fact 40 percent of adults will seek medical attention for it, and so I'm not that concerned. I mean it is a big deal, but not that big of a deal. If it presented when I wasn't sick than that would be a sign of something more serious but since I have the flu all that's happening is my inner ear is slightly inflamed and now I can't tell which way is up." Said Reid gripping so hard to the sheets his knuckles began to turn white.

"So what, you just lay here and wait for it to pass?" asked Morgan concerned.

"Yeah, except…" Reid cut himself off and swallowed hard.

"Except what?"

"It can cause motion sickness and that can lead to…" he quickly jumped off and ran to the bathroom. Morgan heard retching coming from the other side of the door and cringed at the cruel noise. A minute later Reid's pale figure appeared in the doorway, one long hand draped cautiously over his stomach.

"You okay Pretty Boy?" Morgan asked.

"Do I look okay?" he answered sarcastically.

"Why don't you come lay back down and try to rest?" Morgan walked over towards Reid and held out his arm. Reid grabbed his upper bicep and used it to maintain his balance as he walked over to the bed.

"Thanks Morgan." Reid said as he plopped back down onto the bed, He scrunched his eyes and held his hands to his head.

"Headache back?" Morgan asked eyeing Reid.

"Yeah, it's worse than before but the room has stopped tilting so that's good…I guess." Reid coughed and winced at the pain.

"Hotch wanted me to take your temperature."

"I really don't think that's necessary." Said Reid as he massaged his head some more.

"Just open your mouth." Reid thought about protesting but knew he wouldn't get anywhere so he listened and obediently opened his mouth, "Good boy. What's fun about this is I can talk all I want while that thing is in your mouth and you're not allowed to talk. I can ask you any statistic or any question and you can't answer."

"That's not fair." He mumbled around the thermometer.

"Uh-uh, no talking, it might mess up the numbers." Said Morgan smiling, "Oh gosh, I just can't remember the twenty-fifth digit in pi, do you remember? Or how about what is the lowest prime number? Hey, do you know the chemical symbol for tin and its atomic mass?" Reid looked up and glared up at Morgan, his arms folded tightly across his chest.

"3, 2, Sn and 118.71 amu." Said Reid as Morgan pulled the beeping thermometer out of his mouth.

"It's going down, it's 101.4 right now, but Hotch says he won't let you out of this room until it's at least below 99.5, sorry kid." Morgan said sympathetically.

"Do I still look bad?" Reid asked wishing he had taken advantage of the mirror in the bathroom to see what he looked like.

"Yes. How's the Velcro?"

"Do you mean vertigo?" asked Reid smiling slightly.

"Yeah, how's that?"

"The dizziness has passed but the nausea hasn't. I feel like my stomach is going to reject anything at this point." He said as his left hand remained loosely across his abdomen.

"I'll be right back." Said Morgan running into the bathroom, Reid could hear the faucet turn on and off. Derek reemerged with a steaming towel in his hand. "Lift up your shirt."

"I beg your pardon?" asked Reid not quiet sure if he had heard correctly.

"It's something my mom did for me when I was sick as a kid. Maybe you haven't been sick since you were seven but I had my fair share of stomach bugs and food poisoning before I left Chicago. It's warm and it relaxes the muscles." Reid lifted up his shirt revealing his pale flesh and Morgan softly placed the warm towel over his midsection. "Feel good?"

Reid nodded and closed his eyes peacefully.

"I think I'm going to try and get some sleep." He mumbled quietly as he snuggled deeper under the covers.

"Alright, I'll be here if you need anything." Morgan smiled as he heard Reid breathing become steady and relaxed.

* * *

"…yeah, when he wakes up I'll ask him about it. Alright, bye Hotch." Morgan hung up his phone and looked over at Reid's bed. "You're awake?"

"I just woke up. Was that Hotch?" Reid asked stretching.

"Yeah, he wants to know if you think it's significant if all the victims have dogs. I told him I couldn't see any relation but that maybe our Dr. Genius could see some connection. So, do you?" asked Morgan hopefully.

"No, unless…" Reid had a sudden thought pop into his head, "I need to look at that letter and I need to see those phone bills."

"Reid, you know the rules, I can't let you go." Morgan sighed.

"Morgan those girls' lives are at stake and you guys just think I'm going to overwork myself and get slightly more sick. I mean what's really the worse thing to happen?" Reid yelled getting more agitated but the sudden energy spike caused him to double over and have a coughing fit. "Can you get me some water please?"

"Yeah, sure kid." Said Morgan as he handed Reid a cold water bottle; Reid gratefully drank it and let the icy liquid rush down his throat.

"I'll make a deal with you Morgan." Said Reid finally catching his breath, "Take my temperature again and if it's under 'Hotch Regulations' then I have to stay here but if it's not you have to drive me to the station right now."

"Reid, I can tell you're fever hasn't gone down any. You're sweating worse than before and your cheeks are flushed red."

"Just answer me, do we have a deal?"

"You won't be happy but fine." Morgan took out the thermometer again and handed it to Reid before looking down at his ringing phone, "Garcia's calling, I'm going out into the hall to talk with her. Remember; don't talk with that thing in your mouth."

Reid nodded smilingly and waited for Morgan to leave the room. When the door closed Reid unscrewed the water bottle and stuck the thermometer into the cold beverage. After ten second he removed it and slightly placed it underneath his tongue. Morgan reentered the room and removed the thermometer from Reid's mouth.

"Well, I don't believe this but you're only 99, I guess I can't argue. Are you sure you feel up to this?"

"I feel fine! Great even!" said Reid jumping out of bed, "Let's go now."

"And you sure you feel fine?" Morgan asked eyeing the boy with disbelief.

"Thermometer's don't lie." Reid said smiling while grabbing his jacket off the back the desk chair. The guilt of his lie made him feel bad but he knew those girls needed him more.

* * *

**A/N: The answer to the riddle (that was in the letter) will be in the next chapter so stay tuned. : ) Please review if you get a chance.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Enjoy everyone. : )**

* * *

"What are you doing here?" Aaron Hotchner asked looking at Spencer Reid who was digging through the case file. Aaron turned on his heels and looked for Morgan, "Why did you let him come here?"

"I know this looks carless Hotch but he passed your criteria so I had to let him come." Morgan said not sure if he did the right thing.

"Where is the puzzle?" asked Reid sniffing quietly and scanning the box of evidence, "I can't seem to locate it."

"That's because I have it." Said Aaron pulling out the piece of paper "I was afraid you would try to sneak out of the hotel to try and find it."

"You should trust me more." Said Reid as he finally held the note in his hands.

"Should I?" asked Hotch raising an eyebrow. He knew, Reid knew he knew, and Reid couldn't figure out why he wasn't saying anything. Ignoring it he examined the message and words began popping out at him – help, I, save, them, need.

"I think I got something with this letter. Do you know what a triangular number sequence is?" asked Reid looking up from the sheet of paper, a lock of his hair fell out from behind his ear and into his thin face. "It's like this mathematical equation with dots. Each dot counts as a number the pattern continues by adding one number higher to the number of dots. It's: 1, 3, 6, 10, 15, 21, 28, 37, 47, 58, 70…"

"We get it Reid, what's your point?" asked Emily playing with a pen.

"Well look at the letter." He handed it to her.

"It's in the shape of a triangle." Said Rossi looking over her shoulder.

"That's not all, look harder and follow the pattern."

...**Help** those you want

...What you **need** to do

...This is not you, it's **I**

...Why do you not look further, you can find **them**

...If you keep looking too far you won't find the girls in time to **save** us.

"Help need I, them save?" asked Emily.

"Now flip it." Said Reid.

"Save them, I need help." Hotchner said as he reversed the words in his head,

"Exactly. Between this note and the call I got I would say he's gotten himself into a mess he doesn't want to be in. He probably took the girls and now has no idea what to do. He doesn't want to hurt them but he can't just let them go." Reid cleared his throat in an attempt to stop the tickling; any type of cough would blow his cover.

"How did he get you number in the first place?" asked JJ.

"I don't know." Said Reid honestly.

"It doesn't matter. We need to wait for him to contact us again. Try to get him to stay on the line long enough to tell us where he is." Said Hotchner, "Also I want patrols out talking to neighbors, ask them if they've seen anything that seems out of the ordinary, it's a pretty small town people are going to notice if someone is acting strange. Morgan go with Emily, and Reid I want you with JJ." Everyone grabbed their things and headed towards the black SUVs.

"Hello, we're with the FBI and we were wondering if you could answer a few of our questions?" asked JJ smiling when the second victim's neighbor opened the door.

"Sure, come on in." said the women stepping back and letting the two agents walk in. Reid and Emily followed her into the house and sat on a couch across from the chair she sat in.

"Mrs. Kane, have you noticed anything strange in the neighborhood?" asked Reid fidgeting with his hands.

"No, not really." She said trying to think back.

"Any strange people walking outside?"

"No."

"How about any strange cars?" asked Reid as he began to think that lying about being sick might not have been the best idea.

"Nope, this is a pretty quiet neighborhood."

"All right, well if you think of anything please give us a call." Said JJ smiling and standing up from the couch she had been sitting on, "Have a nice day."

"Of course." She said smiling and standing up to walk the two agents back to the door. Reid could feel himself growing dizzy again and instantly reached for the counter to balance himself on. At the pause in his step JJ turned around to make sure he was okay.

"Reid?" she asked but the boy didn't answer. "Reid?"

"I'm fine, just give me a second." Spencer said as he held tighter onto the counter his hand shaking with the strength of his grip. After a few minutes the ground stabled and he was able to walk unsteadily to the car.

"You're not okay, are you?" JJ asked once she and Reid were sitting in the car.

"I don't think it's anything to worry about." He said as the feeling of dizziness came back to him.

"Reid, I can tell you aren't well, look at yourself. You're sweating so much so I could probably ring your shirt out, your face is so flushed you look like you've been sunburned, you're shaking so hard the car is almost moving and you're so dizzy you can't even keep your eyes open."

"You don't want me to keep my eyes open." Reid mumbled as he hoped the feeling subsided.

"Why is that?"

"Because I get motion sickness if they're open." Reid said as he gritted his teeth.

"And is having them closed helping?"JJ asked as she took the next right heading towards the first girl's workplace.

"No, pull over!" Reid said as JJ swerved her car to the side of the road. Reid yanked on the door and fumbled out falling to his knees. Reid felt himself let go of every thing I his stomach and then he felt something he didn't recognize. Small circles were being rubbed across his back while soothing words were being spoken.

"Let me know when you're ready to move and I'll call Hotch and tell him I'm taking you back to the hotel." JJ's voice felt comforting and her cold touch felt soothing against his burning skin.

"I'm ready." Said Reid after three minutes of kneeling on the ground waiting for the earth to stop turning and the nausea to subside.

"Alright, let's go." She said as she guided his body back into the car. Once he was settled in JJ climbed into the driver's side.

"Hotchner."

"Hey Hotch, it's JJ."

"What's the matter with him?"

"How did you know—never mind—I'm taking him back to the hotel now." JJ looked over to see Reid facing the window and curled up tightly with his legs drawn tightly to his chest.

"Drop him off at the hotel and then head back to the station; I'm going to have a word with him before sending anyone else to watch him." Said Aaron clicking the phone off.

* * *

Aaron Hotchner stormed into Spencer Reid's room, the boy shot up in bed obviously shocked by the sudden intrusion.

"How did you get a key?"

"I have a key to everyone's room just in case they do something stupid and should need help. You know something like lying about being seriously sick." Aaron said angrily pacing around the room.

"I didn't lie." Said Reid coughing.

"Oh, really?" said Hotchner stopping and looking at Reid.

"The thermometer said I didn't have a fever, you know I can't make that…" Reid began.

"The water. I did it a hundred times as a kid. You use a light bulb for the fever rise and you out it in the water if you had a game and needed to be in classes that day so you could play."

"Are you saying you tricked your parents so they would let you got to school so that you could play in a school sports game?" asked Reid.

"It's better than lying to all of us." Said Hotchner as he began to calm down.

"I'm sorry. I just, I can't stand sleeping while I know those girls are out there. You need me on this case because I can solve the puzzles quicker than anyone else. You need me for this stuff." Said Reid choking back the tears.

"What we need is to have a healthy agent. Reid if you sit one case out, a case where there doesn't seem to be an immediate threat, then you are helping more than if you over work yourself and have to sit out several cases trying to recover." Hotch said as he sat down next to Reid on the bed.

"I understand."

"Good. So no more lying?" Reid nodded. He wasn't used to the caring and it made him want to cry. "Reid, are you crying? Be honest."

"Yes." Said Reid deciding there was no point in lying and knowing he couldn't hide the sobs even if he wanted to. Hotch leaned in and examined the boy, although he was heaving and coughing as if crying there still weren't tears falling from his sunken in eyes.

"Give me your hand." Demanded Hotch as Reid obliged. When he held Reid's hand in his, Aaron could feel the immense heat radiating from the boy's skin; he had to be at least three degrees above a hundred. Gently Hotch took his pointer and middle finger and set them against Reid's wrist. Hotch looked down at his watch and counted every time he could feel Reid's blood rush through his vein in that minute.

"You're heart rate is way too high. It's nearing 130 beats per minute." Aaron then pushed down on the top of Reid's hand. He watched as the skin remained indented and didn't recoil after fifteen seconds. "Reid you are dehydrated and need help now. We need to get you to a hospital; I'm calling an ambulance."

**A/N: There you go everyone! Chapter six! : ) please review if you get a chance, they make my day and they would greatly cheer me up seeing that I've jinxed myself and come down with a little summer cold. : )**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews and well wishes everyone! I'm feeling slightly better but I just found a coffee machine and I'm sure all the sugar I put into it is not helping.**

* * *

Aaron Hotchner didn't like hospital waiting rooms. He didn't like the way everyone looked so frightened or the smell of rubber gloves and bleached floors. Aaron hated the way the waiting room chairs were so uncomfortable and he loathed everything you heard while sitting there. In the ten minutes between Reid's arrival and the moment the rest of the team got there Aaron had overheard a family being told there wasn't anything that could have been done, he heard a child asking where his sick mommy was, and he heard a doctor telling his wife not to wait up; there had been a car accident and everyone was staying late to help. He could imagine what she was saying on the other line, probably that she understood other people needed his help but when they hung up she would think about how she wished that just for one day he would put his job second and her first.

"Hotch?" A loud voice broke his thoughts and he looked up to see Morgan looking in his direction.

"What is it?"

"Garcia says not to worry. She's hacked into the hospital's database and it lists that Reid is in stable condition. They're just running some tests to make sure this flu isn't something worse." Morgan said holding the phone up to his ear and repeating everything Garcia was saying.

"Thanks." Mumbled Hotch as he folded his arms across his chest and bent his head down.

"Thanks Baby Girl, call if anything changes." Said Morgan hanging up the phone, "He lied, didn't he?" it was Hotch's turn to look over at Morgan.

"He put the thermometer in the water you gave him and then put it back into his mouth right before you came into the room." Said Hotch.

"So this is my fault then. I was stupid enough to fall for it and…"

"Don't start that." Said Aaron sternly, "I won't have anyone on this team blaming themselves for this. Reid is just slightly dehydrated but he'll be fine and there's no point in everyone thinking this is their fault."

"Don't be a hypocrite." Said JJ knowing that Hotch was still going to blame himself even after everything he just told the team. Aaron nodded understanding.

"Excuse me, is a member of Spencer Reid's family here?" asked a tall, slender nurse in purple scrubs.

"Yes, I'm his brother." Said Aaron knowing that the hospital had a strict rule about only giving information out to direct family members, "Is he okay?"

"Spencer will be fine. We have him hooked up to an IV now and we're trying to balance the electrolytes in his body that have been depleted. From what we can tell this really is just a bad case of the flu and if he rests he'll make a complete recovery. You and one visitor can go see him. He's in Room 209." The women smiled and left to go take care of something else.

"Who's it going to be?" asked Aaron looking at everyone.

"Take Morgan." Said Rossi, "Emily and I need to finish talking to neighbors and JJ is holding another press conference."

"Alright, let's go." Said Morgan standing up and walking with Aaron towards Spencer Reid's room, once they reached the door Morgan gently knocked before quietly pushing the door open.

"Hey." Reid said slowly as he saw the two people enter.

"How are you feeling kid?" asked Morgan walking over to his bed.

"I've seen better days." Said Reid trying to smile but finding that it took more energy than he was prepared for.

"Knock-knock." Said a stout, kind looking nurse who walked into the room, "My name is Sherrie and I'm the nurse for this floor. My job is to make sure you have a short and pleasant stay with us. If there is anything you need don't hesitate to ask me. I make rounds every 90 minutes to see how you're feeling and to see if there's any medication you need. So, how are you doing Mr. Reid?"

"Doctor." Corrected Derek.

"I'm sorry, how are you feeling Dr. Reid?" she asked still smiling.

"Bad." Said Reid lazily as he felt himself growing more exhausted by the second.

"Why?" she asked prompting him to go into detail.

"Because I'm sick." Reid said sarcastically.

"He's not used to being take care of." Morgan whispered to the nurse when he could tell she was growing slightly agitated.

"Reid, she's trying to help you." Aaron said as he looked down at him.

"I have a really bad headache, my stomach just started to hurt again and I still can't breathe through my nose." Said Reid.

"We can give you something that'll calm your stomach and we have an assortment of pain medications for that headache of yours." She said smiling.

"I can't take them." Said Reid quickly.

"Don't worry, if you're allergic to a certain type I guarantee you we have other kinds we can test out." Sherrie said smiling and thinking she was helping.

"No! I don't want your drugs." He shouted feeling his blood pressure rising.

"I don't understand."

"Don't make me take them, I don't want them." Reid grabbed the cup of water next to him and threw it across the room. The nurse loudly shrieked.

"Can I talk to you outside for a second?" Hotch said as he guided Sherrie outside leaving Reid and Morgan by themselves.

"What the hell Reid?" Morgan asked sternly.

"You know what my problem with them is." Said Reid growing defensive.

"I know Reid, I saw everything that was happening to you but you can't let it affect the rest of your life. It's fine – it's good – if you never take pain medication again but when you panic like that you're letting him win. Don't let the rest of your life be ruined by someone who is dead." Morgan looked over and saw that tears were winding there way down Reid's thin face.

"On the plus side, we know that my body is hydrated enough to make tears." Said Reid trying to smile, Morgan returned the gesture and rubbed his hand on Reid's hair messing it up.

"So, they say that you need to stay the night here, that we can take you back to the hotel tomorrow and that you'll be fine to fly by the time we leave." Said Aaron coming back into the room where the other two agents were, "We should probably leave you so that you can get some sleep."

"Can one of you stay?" asked Reid sheepishly, "I hate being alone in places like this."

"Morgan you can stay but I have to go now. Emily and Rossi didn't find anything except for some old lady watching over the house." Said Hotch looking at a message he received.

"What did you say?" asked Reid sitting up in bed.

"Rossi and Emily didn't find anything." Hotch repeated.

"No, the thing about the old lady."

"Just that when they got there they talked to some old lady who was looking after the house for Gina Kent while she was supposed to be gone." Said Hotch.

"I need to talk to her." Said Reid.

"Reid, we already discussed…" Hotch began.

"No, trust me on this one. I think I have something figured out but I need to talk to the house sitter tomorrow when I get discharged." Said Reid quickly.

"Fine. Morgan will drive you to the station at eleven after you've left here and you will have one hour to talk to her." Said Hotch and Reid nodded understanding the stipulations, Hotch walked out the door and then stuck his head around the corner "Call if you two need anything."

"Alright." Said Reid smiling and then laying his head back down on the pillow, "I took a towel from the hotel, can you do that thing you did earlier?" asked Reid with his eyes closed.

"Of course kid." Said Morgan fetching the cloth out of Reid's things and going to the bathroom to soak it in steaming water. A minute later he came back and Reid shyly lifted his shirt allowing Morgan to place the towel over Reid's abdomen. When the heat touched his skin Reid could feel his stomach relaxing and his eyes growing heavier.

"G'night Morgan." He mumbled.

"Night Pretty Boy." Said Derek laughing.

* * *

**A/N: The case is getting more and more interesting. : ) Does anyone think they know what's going on? Please press that button and review if you get a chance. : )**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hey everyone! : ) I know a couple of people have trouble accessing the chapters. I've tried uploading and reloading and everything but some people are still having issues. I find that it does eventually work, so if you have problems with the story keep trying and eventually it will work. Sorry for the inconvenience.**

At four in the morning Spencer Reid woke up feeling like his skin was on fire. At first he tried to ignore it but after a few minutes he found himself unable to ignore the pain.

"Hot," he said rolling in bed, "It's so hot."

He knew something was wrong but no one could hear his hoarse voice trying to scream out. He looked for the nurse call button but couldn't find it in the dark room. That's when he remembered Morgan was in the room with him.

"M'gan, it's hot." He whimpered. Suddenly Derek Morgan shot up in the chair he had drifted off in.

"Reid, what's the matter?" asked Morgan rubbing his eyes and stretching.

"It's hot." He mumbled his voice was nearly impossible to understand. In seconds Derek jumped up and was at Reid's side. He turned the light on to get a better look at him. The sudden brightness caused Reid to whimper and shield his eyes. The sight of Spencer almost scared him; the boy's face was redder than he had ever seen, his eyes rolled towards the back of his head and all of Reid's clothing and sheets were covered in sweat. Morgan placed the back of his hand on Reid's forehead and cheeks instantly he could feel how hot the kid's face was.

"Shit." He said sprinting to the hall, "Help! Someone help!"

Two nurses standing nearby heard and came running into Reid's room. Morgan stood still, paralyzed by shock, as the nurses began to shout obscure words and phrases he had never heard. A wheelchair quickly appeared accompanied by two more nurses who lifted Reid into it and pushed him away. One of the original nurses stayed in the room and turned to Morgan.

"Your friend has spiked a dangerously high fever and is being taken for an ice bath. I can take you to him if you would like." She said.

"Yeah…uh…yeah that'd be great." Said Derek still trying to get over the shock. He wondered if the constant battle for these nurses to protect life exhausted them, and then he thought about his own job and how they did the exact same thing and he had his answer. The smiling faces and forced facades the BAU used to make the families more comfortable was exactly what Derek was looking at and that frightened him. Once they got to the baths Derek pulled out his cell phone to call his boss and let him know what was happening.

"Aaron Hotchner." Said a groggy voice on the other line.

"Sorry to wake you up Hotch, I just wanted to let you know that Reid spiked a fever and they're taking him to get an ice bath right now."

"Keep me posted if something changes." Said Aaron.

"Alright." Derek hung up his phone and walked into the room where Reid was.

"What's going on?" asked Reid when he saw Morgan come into the room. Realizing that Reid wasn't likely dressed Morgan averted his eyes towards the ground.

"You had a high fever and they had to bring it down quickly so they put you in freezing water."

"I remember being hot but that's it." He ran a trembling hand through his hair.

"You looked awful kid, I was worried." Said Morgan honestly.

"Hello," a man said while walking into the room, "I'm Jack, the night nurse and I just wanted to tell you what happened to you to clear up any confusion you might have. It appears that Dr. Reid had an allergic reaction to one of the medications we gave him and that caused him to get a fever of 106.8, we tried to bring it down several other ways but after none of those attempts worked we had to resort to the bath. Do either of you have any questions?"

"Can I still be discharged tomorrow?"

"Well technically you can leave whenever you want, but we recommend that you remain here until tomorrow evening instead of leaving in the morning. Is there anything else?" Morgan and Reid shook their heads, "Okay, well then when you're ready stand up slowly, get dressed and I'll take you back to your room."

Reid followed his instructions as Morgan stepped out into the hall to give him some privacy. He opened his phone and sent Aaron a quick message: _Reid is fine, taking him back to room now._

A few minutes later Reid was wheeled back and given his dinner that he had missed from the night before. Realizing that neither he nor Reid would fall back asleep Morgan decided to turn on the television. Instantly Derek found one of his favorite movies and although it was almost over started to watch it; Reid on the other hand played with his food.

"This is boring." Reid complained as he and Morgan sat in the room watching a movie. "There is nothing to do here and the food sucks."

"I'll make a deal with you, if you stop complaining like an eight year old I'll go and get real food for you when the movie is over." Said Morgan not moving his eyes away from the TV.

"I can just tell you how the movie ends and then you can go get good food now." Said Reid.

"Or you can stop talking and wait two more minutes until the movie is actually over." Morgan still didn't look over at Reid and his eyes remained fixated on the screen.

"Fine." Said Reid pouting.

"Pouting counts as acting like an eight year old." Morgan said smiling and finally looking over at Reid.

"Fine." Reid said unfolding his arms.

"Alright, it's over. Was it really that hard to wait?" Derek asked still smiling at how young Reid acted while he was sick.

"Yes." He answered only half jokingly.

"What do you want?"

"Starbucks."

"What do you want to eat?"

"I don't care, anything besides this stuff." Reid poked the food in front of him and watched it jiggle like Jell-O.

"Fine, I'll be back in thirty minutes. While I'm gone don't do anything stupid." Said Morgan standing up and leaving the room.

* * *

Morgan sat in the line at Starbucks and wondered why was it that so many people needed coffee this early in the morning. It was only five o'clock and the line was already packed with eager costumers. Morgan chuckled to himself thinking about something Reid once told him; coffee is the fifth highest addiction in the world. As Morgan sat thinking about all the random knowledge Reid had taught him he noticed his phone started ringing.

"Hey Baby Girl, what's up?" asked Morgan once he saw who was calling.

"You know how you asked me to check the hospital records on Reid every so often." He could hear her quickly typing on the computer.

"Yeah…" Morgan answered tentatively.

"Well I reworked the computer to alert me whenever something changed in his file and something just popped up." She rambled.

"What are you trying to say?"

"Reid checked himself out ten minutes ago."

"Thanks." Said Morgan hanging up the phone, "This counts as doing something stupid Reid." He said as he pulled out of line, flipped on his lights and headed straight for the hospital.

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**A/N: Please review if you get a chance. : )**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Well I'm all better now except for the occasional sneeze…Reid on the other hand…**

* * *

Reid looked out the window as the taxi approached the police station. He had exactly five minutes to execute his plan. If Morgan found out he was gone and called the team at least one of them would think to check the police station and if they caught him there was no way he would be allowed to leave.

"Wait here." He told the cab driver while handing him a twenty dollar incentive. Reid sprinted towards the building and into the room the team had set up in. He looked at the white board they had been brain storming on and confirmed that they needed his help. Only three words were written up there – the three things Reid had pointed out: dark hair, blue eyes, remorse. Quickly Reid dug through the scattered papers on the table until he found the call logs of each victim. He grabbed them and the case file before returning outside to the taxi.

Once inside the heat of the car Reid pulled out each paper with their phone records and instantly saw something weird. Every one of the girls had called the same number several times in the last week; Reid pulled out his phone and dialed Garcia.

"Morgan?" asked the voice before one ring, it didn't wait for an answer, "I'm trying to trace his cell signal…"

"This isn't Morgan; it's Reid. Are you trying to trace the UnSub's signal?" asked Reid holding the phone between his right shoulder and ear as he continued to dig through the folder.

"No, I'm trying to trace your signal Reid. Everyone is looking for you. You are in so much trouble." Garcia said as she typed away on her computer.

"That's fine, but I need you to look something up for me." Reid said.

"I really shouldn't. I'm supposed to not answer any of your questions and try to trace your cell phone." Said Garcia.

"Please." Begged Reid, "I think I have a strong lead on the case."

"Fine, what do you need?"

"If I give you an phone number can you tell me where the person lives?"

"Isn't that what I always do white sugar?" asked Garcia smiling.

"Just wanted to make sure and white sugar? I thought you just saved the pet names for Morgan?" Reid let a smile cross his face.

"Although my steaming mug of java delight is usually the one I talk dirty to I figured it can't hurt anyone if I do it to you sometimes."

"Maybe you should just stick to him. The number is: 907-453-0098." Reid could hear her typing and eagerly waited for an answer.

"The winner is: Mrs. Maggie Hoffman of 1431 Smythe Street."

"Thanks Garcia." Reid said.

"I am sending the address to your phone."

"Thanks."

"I'm also sending it to Derek's so he knows where to find you. Forgive me." Before Reid could object Garcia had disconnected their phone call.

"Can you take me to 1431 Smythe Street?" asked Reid in-between sneezes.

"Sure thing kid, I can take you anywhere you want. But you positive you don't want to just go home? You sound pretty awful." The driver commented while pulling out of the station.

"Yes, I'm sure." Said Reid rubbing his head trying to suppress the ache; leaving the hospital was a mistake and he knew it. After three minutes of driving and Reid coughing the driver pulled up to a small house.

"Here you go kid." He said, Reid paid the driver and walked up to the house. It was nearing six thirty, surely she would be up. He quietly tapped on the door and looked around the front yard. A red car was parked in the driveway that Reid swore he had seen before. Right before Reid knocked again the door opened revealing an elderly woman that he instantly recognized as the lady from the first victims house.

"Hello." She said smiling and recognizing Reid, "It's good to see you without a gun pointed at me. Can I help you with something?"

"Yeah, I just had a couple of questions for you." Said Reid shivering as his body realized how cold it was outside.

"Come on in, you'll catch your death out there." She opened the door more and invited Reid into the warm house.

"You knew all the missing girls didn't you?" asked Reid trying to contain his shaking.

"Yes, it's so sad. They were such sweet girls; I've known them all since they were babies. I used to babysit them and take care of them. When they got older I looked after their houses when they left to go on trips and such." Reid looked around the room trying to find something. He knew there had to be something in this house that would help him find the missing girls. Then his eyes came upon it.

"Who's in this picture?" asked Reid picking up a very aged looking photograph with a gorgeous blue eyed woman and a small child in it.

"My hair was a lot darker back then but that's me." Said Maggie smiling and reminiscing about the photograph, "And that's my son next to me."

"Is your son here?" asked Reid finishing his sentence in a sneezing fit.

"Bless you," she said handing him a tissue, "No, he has his own house but he comes and visits me often. What does this have to do with Charles?"

"Nothing, I was just wondering." Reid continued to look around the house and then he saw something else that caught his eye, he held up the card "Did I give this to you?"

"Yes. The day you and that attractive man came into the house and nearly gave me a heart attack, you told me that I had to leave but to call if I thought of something, and then you gave me your card." Reid looked down at the card that he cradled in his hands. A knock interrupted his thoughts.

"Excuse me." The women said walking to her front door.

"Hello." Reid froze in the other room when he recognized the voice, "My name is Aaron Hotchner and this is Derek Morgan, we work for the BAU and we're wondering if one of our coworkers has come to ask you some questions."

"Yes, he's in the other room right now." She said cheerfully, "You're welcome to come in and help. I don't know what he's looking for but feel free to search my house if it'll help you find those sweet girls."

"Thank you." Derek said walking into the house and into the room where Reid was. They locked eyes and Spencer instantly felt his heart sink with grief.

"Hey." He whispered not realizing how hoarse his voice had once again become.

"Save it Pretty Boy, we're going to have a long talk in the car." Said Derek; Reid nodded his head and both of them waited for Aaron to come around the corner.

"So, we're going to leave Mrs. Hoffman's house right now, then we're going out to the car and you're going to tell me what the hell made you think it would be okay for you to check yourself out of a hospital right after you were just treated for a fever so high it could kill you." Hotchner whispered into Reid's ear causing him to swallow hard with fear.

"Yes sir." Said Reid as he followed the two other agents outside and just like Aaron had promised they got into the car and turned towards Reid waiting for an explanation. Hotchner turned on the car and pulled out of Maggie's house to not raise concerns from the woman.

"I had an idea and when you said that the some old lady was at both houses I thought maybe there was a connection," Reid began talking quickly, "and so I called Garcia and she gave me the address so I went to Maggie Hoffman's house and found out that she helps look after all three victim's houses. And then…" Reid's voice hitched as he coughed.

"Are you okay?" Morgan asked as he gave Reid a concerned look.

"No. I don't think so." Said Reid honestly as he felt the car spinning again, "It's the vertigo thing, pull the car over; I'm going to get sick again." Hotch pulled the car over to the side of the rode and watched as Reid swung the car door open and fell to his knees vomiting on the shoulder of the highway.

"What do you need from us?" asked Aaron as he got out of the car and walked over to where Morgan was standing over Reid.

"I'm so lightheaded." Reid complained as he could still feel everything around him moving.

"How do you fix that?" Morgan asked assuming Reid would have the answer.

"It's a b-b-bl-blood pressure thing…take me back to the hospital before I p-p-pa…." his voice broke and Reid collapsed forward.

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**A/N: Thanks for reading; please review if you get a chance.**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Sorry, the next two chapters are going to be kind of long. Hope you have fun with this one. It's a little loopy and I hope it translates.**

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He hadn't felt like this since he went through withdrawal. The experience was indescribable; it hurt to move, it even hurt to breathe and yet he felt calm, almost peaceful. At first he thought that maybe he had died. Maybe he went into cardiac arrest and died in a pool of his own vomit on the side of the highway. Then he realized that heaven couldn't be this painful, that was assuming that he even believed in a place after death and even so, who was to say he would be going up, not down? He did selfishly send his sick mother away and he did dabble with drugs. So maybe he had died and this was his punishment, a life of eternal pain. But he thought about how much he was thinking about it and how a person who had died wouldn't be thinking about death this much. _So I must be_ _alive_, he mused to himself and started to make a logical list of reasons why he could not be, like previously believed, dead.

"When…wake…" a voice passed by his ears but it seemed a little too distant for him to reach, maybe he would wait just a little longer. He was enjoying the place where he was now, it was quiet and calm—he could think to himself here.

"I…stupid…tricked…Pretty…" the second sound was louder than the first but he still couldn't quiet reach the person who was talking. He began to want to escape the emptiness; it was as if he was trapped in his own mind. The thought made him shutter, was this how his mom felt sometimes?

"Are you…tell…drugs?" There was another voice and it seemed to be getting closer, with every word the volume increased. It was a voice he liked too, tender, like his mother was when she was his mother and not her disease.

"He…right to know." There it was again, he could not only hear the noise but he could visualize the person saying it. Who was that person? He liked her, she was always confident yet peaceful and constantly putting others before herself.

"I know that JJ but we can't tell him right away. Can you imagine what would happen if he wakes up and the first thing he hears is that the EMTs dru…" And there it was, a voice that was so clear he could grasp onto it and pull himself out of the unconscious world and back into reality. But it was cut off by something else and he struggled to keep attached to the world he had just climbed in to.

"You guys be quiet, I think he's waking up." Spencer was conscious and the beeping machines and squeaky linoleum floors made he immediately recognize where he was but he didn't want to be here. He changed his mind. There were problems out there, when he opened his eyes he would have to deal with things he rather put behind him. When he was floating in the nothingness there wasn't anything for him to worry about other than himself. He wanted to be selfish and keep his eyes shut; he wanted to go back into the dream world he had just worked so hard to get out of.

"Spence?" asked a sweet voice as he felt a hand run through his tangled hair. These people weren't going to let him go back.

"Reid?" _Rossi – that man who is speaking is named Rossi_, he thought. And then as if he had never forgotten he could remember who all these people were. They were his family and he wanted to be with them more than he wanted to go back to that peaceful world. More importantly there was something he had to tell them.

"The son." He shot up in bed causing everyone to jump back a few feet, "It was her son. It's her son."

"Whoa! Calm down Reid." Morgan said as he used his muscular upper body to guide Reid back down onto the bed.

"The last thing we need is you to pass out on us again. Take a minute to breathe and then we need you to tell us everything you know." Hotch said in a calm voice as he stood with his hand caressing his tired face in the corner of the room.

"I know that it's Maggie Hoffman's son and that the women he takes look identical to his mother when she was younger. Maggie house-sits for all the missing girls, he knew his mom would go to the houses which is why he left the note for us."

"Okay, but how did he get your number?" asked Morgan frowning.

"We gave her my card, remember?" Morgan nodded as the memory came back to him, "When I went to her house it was just sitting on the table. He must have come over and taken it. Hotch, trust me, I know it's our guy." Reid said looking up desperately.

"Did you get a name?"

"Uhm…" he thought back trying to remember everything and simultaneously cursed his eidetic memory for slowing down when he was sick, "Charlie! Charles!" he burst out suddenly remembering the name.

"Good work Reid; I want every cop looking for Charles Hoffman." Hotch told JJ while the rest of the team left the room.

"You're not going with them?" asked Reid while JJ quickly sent the message to the station that they had a suspect and to try and find him.

"Oh no, I'm staying here with you to make sure you don't do anything that would put your life in jeopardy." She smiled and he let himself chuckle.

"I've been doing that a lot lately." Was that really his voice? It sounded so weird to him.

"Yes sir. You've given yourself Pneumonia." Reid gave her a puzzling look that she mistook that for confusion so she began to explain "Pneumonia is…"

"…it's is an inflammatory condition of the lungs and it is associated with the inflammation of the alveoli and abnormal alveolar filling with fluid. The best way to diagnose it is by taking chest x-rays and it can be treated several different ways depending on what those scans reveal. There is a 5.4 percent morality rate, 60 percent of the population over 65 get vaccinations…want me to go on?" he asked with his eyebrow raised.

"Why did you look so surprised if you know what it is?" JJ asked.

"I just didn't think I could get it."

"Contrary to popular belief you're not invincible."

"But I'm not weak." He said defensively.

"I never said that Spence, I know you're not weak." She watched as he visibly relaxed; his tense muscles easing out of the tight positions they were in. They sat in silence for a little bit until Reid remembered something.

"What happened? I heard two people talking about something and someone said I had the right to know, the right to know what?" The tables were turned as Reid noticed JJ flinch and tighten her posture.

"Well you were in the ambulance and they didn't know what to do but you were crying and telling them that it hurt and when you fell down you sprained your wrist by trying to catch yourself, so the EMTs knew that you would be in pain and they decided…"

"…to give me morphine." Reid finished her sentence and sighed. He felt like a fifty pound weight was just placed on his chest. The blood rushed from his head and he thought of all the months he had stayed clean…gone.

"Spence, I'm so sorry." She went to go place her hand over his but decided maybe it wasn't a good idea.

"It's not your fault." He mumbled and turned away. Reid didn't want her to see him cry because that would only prove that he _was_ weak. His breathing quivered as he told himself not to succumb to the tears. She didn't understand what this meant; nobody understood the magnitude of what had just taken place. Reid just wanted to give in and let himself break down but JJ couldn't see him, he wouldn't let her see him like this.

"I may not be a profiler but I know when one of my favorite people is about to cry. I want you to look at me." He obeyed revealing his red rimmed eyes that stung with hot tears taunting him and about to spill over onto his face, "Do you really think I would name you Godfather of my only child if I didn't trust you with my life? I saw what happened to you when he tortured you, I saw you try and fight the addiction and I saw you overcome it. Things like this only make you stronger. Don't look at this as a setback; think about how strong you are. A drug addict would be thinking about his next fix; you're thinking about being clean. That says something."

"I know, it's just…" he couldn't find the right words to express what he wanted to say.

"I'm proud of you." She spoke up filling the silence.

"Thanks JJ." Said Reid as he rubbed the back of his hand across his face erasing all of the tears that had since fallen and had been running down his cheeks. Reid and JJ both looked down as a new message came in on both of their phones: _Got him, headed to station now. See if hospital will release Reid for an hour to do interview. He knows more than we do about this case._

"What do you say," JJ asked looking at Reid "Are you up to it?" Reid nodded and swung his legs over the side of his bed as he tentatively stood up. "You might want to put some actual clothes on."

Reid looked down and instantly flushed a bright shade of red. He was clad only in a hospital gown that was far more revealing than desired. If he thought his pajamas were bad this was a nightmare.

"Are you cheeks that red because your fever is coming back or because you're embarrassed?" JJ joked and Reid playfully pushed her.

"Owe, sick-Reid is mean." She said rubbing her arm while Reid pulled on pants and buttoned up his shirt.

"Let's get out of here. I have an interview to do."

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**A/N: Alright kiddos (sorry, it's what I call everyone) just one more chapter! Eek. It's been a fun ride, hasn't it? Tomorrow when I update I'm going to post a quick one shot I've been working on and at the end of this story I'll have a sneak peak of another story whose first chapter I will be posting tomorrow as well. So look for three updates from me by like…seven…ish : )! I want to thank everyone for your reviews. They make me so happy and I reached the hundred mark which has been a personal goal of mine for years so thank you so much! Cheers and see you next chapter! -Emma**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Well it's been fun. Here is the last chapter. : )**

* * *

It took Reid longer than he wanted to reach the car but every step he took made him feel like his chest would explode. He tried to take a deep breath in as they stepped off the elevator and walked into the garage but he found that his lung capacity had greatly decreased.

"What was the trigger for Charles?" asked JJ when she saw that Reid was struggling and knowing that any distraction would greatly help him.

"His mom had been diagnosed with terminal cancer; she had no more than a month left."

"How did you find that out?" When they reached the car JJ ran over to the passenger side and opened the door for Reid.

"Thanks," he said while climbing into the vehicle, "When we were in her house I noticed that she had been drafting up a will and that there were prescription drugs given to certain type of cancer patients."

"And he took the girls because they reminded him of his mom?" JJ guessed and watched as Reid nodded slowly. He was fading and letting the tiredness overcome him. The station was another ten minutes so JJ let him sleep while she continued to drive in the dark.

Eventually they approached the building and JJ gently nudged Spencer so that he would wake up. At the slight touch of her skin Reid jumped up and looked around trying to access his surroundings before getting out of the parked car.

"Are you ready?" asked JJ who was standing next to the passenger door waiting for her youngest colleague to get out of the car. Reid nodded as he slid out from the tall car and let his feet touch the cold ground.

The two of them walked slowly to the building, careful not to slip on the icy ground, and climbed the stairs until they finally reached their destination. Reid opened the door and saw every officer immediately stop what they were doing and look at him.

"Why are they all starring?" Reid began to grow nervous and self-conscious.

"You've become sort of a legend." JJ whispered back catching Spencer by surprise.

"What? Why?" he asked but JJ only shrugged.

"Reid." Hotch's strong voice echoed through the building causing everyone to return to what they were doing and causing the young doctor to turn and face his boss.

"Hey Hotch." He greeted him back.

"The suspect is in that room," Hotch pointed one of his long, thin fingers to a room with all the blinds closed, "I need you to find out where the girls are and what exactly caused him to take them? Got it?"

Reid nodded and walked towards the room, the adrenaline masked the exhaustion as he walked into the room and looked right into the eyes of Charlie Hoffman.

"Hello." the man said sheepishly looking up at Reid.

"Hi." Reid returned knowing this man was no more a threat to Reid than any other person in the building, "I have a couple of questions that I need answered."

Charlie nodded, his dark brown hair falling into his face as he rocked himself back and forth. He wasn't stable Reid noted, there were definitely signs of a chemical imbalance.

"I know you didn't mean to take those girls," Reid began and watched as Charlie moved his head up and down nodding at every word that he was saying "You wanted them because they reminded you of your mom and she wasn't there for you when you were a child, was she?"

"No," Charlie stopped moving and looked straight into Reid's eyes, "Do you know what it's like to always be the second most important thing to your own mother – never the first? Everyone always wanted her to watch their children; they always wanted her to be the nanny for her to babysit. She never had time for me.

"And then she got older and it started all over again. Everyone was grown up so then they asked her to help out with the house, to take care of their dogs, to watch their homes. I was never her priority. Do you know what that's like Dr. Reid?" Spencer wasn't expecting to hear his name which caused him to tense up but he then relaxed when he remembered the boy had his business card. Reid didn't answer at first; he wanted Charles to think about everything he said out loud.

"My mom is sick too." Reid finally said, "She has been for a long time now and I do know how you feel. Sometimes she would forget all about me, she would lock herself in her room and talk to her friends for days." Reid shivered thinking about the first time he discovered these "friends," she would talk to were nothing more than characters she had made up.

"I just wanted her to take care of me," Charlie said shaking and crying, "I wanted her to be proud of me. I thought that maybe if I took those girls they could watch after me like she never did. I thought that maybe I could eventually take everyone who my mom worked for and then she could look after me herself. But then you all showed up and I didn't know what to do. I never actually wanted anyone to get hurt."

"Where are they?" Reid asked swallowing hard, "Where are the three girls you took?"

"In my mother's basement." He said, "I took care of them, I promise. They never went hungry or had any problems." He whimpered as he broke down in more tears.

"Thank you Charlie." Reid said placing a hand on Charlie's shoulder before exiting the room.

"Hotch, they're in the mom's basement." Reid said as he closed the door behind him.

"Reid stay here with JJ and Emily. Morgan, Rossi let's go get the girls." Said Hotch as he and the two other men got up and left.

It seemed like an eternity but finally, thirteen minutes after they had left, Reid's phone started to vibrate.

"Hey Hotch." Reid flipped open his phone and answered.

"We got them." Hotch said to Reid over the phone. Reid looked up and nodded to an officer who walked into the room and escorted Charles Hoffman out of the questioning room.

"I can't even look at him." Maggie said averting her eyes away from her son who was now walking away in handcuffs. Reid wanted to yell at her and tell her how this was just as much her fault as it was her sons but he didn't. He just nodded as if agreeing with her words; as if he understood how disappointed she must be in her son.

"Reid," JJ waved him over to a desk where she and Emily stood, he excused himself and walked over to his female coworkers, "Hotch told me to take you back to the hotel to pack up all your things. We want to get out of here as soon as possible."

Reid nodded and followed the girls in silence.

* * *

A blizzard had kept the plane from leaving for several days. Reid used the time to finally be a good patient and let the others take care of him. When they were eventually cleared for departure four days later is had become obvious that he was already bouncing back from the illness. An hour after they got the phone call letting them know the storm had passed the entire team had eagerly boarded the jet and was waiting for it to take off. It had been an exhausting case and everyone just wanted to get home. Morgan sat across from Reid; Emily was next to Derek and JJ placed herself right beside Reid.

"How are you feeling?" asked Morgan smiling. It was clear to the team that Reid was on the road to recovery. His pale complexion had returned to its natural shade and there was only a hint of pink remaining in his cheeks. His fever had finally broken the night before; causing his eyes to no longer look glossy.

"I've seen better days; but I've also seen a lot worse." He internally shuttered when he thought about just how many things he had gone through: being drugged, shot, kidnapped, exposed to anthrax. He had never really thought about how serious the job they did was but he truly was lucky to be alive.

"I'm glad you're feeling better." Emily smiled and crossed her legs.

"Me too." Reid answered honestly. Suddenly a loud sneeze interrupted their conversation. They all turned their heads and saw as Aaron Hotchner pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and blew his congested nose.

"If a sick Reid was a hand full what do you think a sick Hotch will be like?" JJ asked causing the four agents to think about what awaited them.

"Tis healthy to be sick sometimes"

-Henry David Thoreau

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**A/N: Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing. I had so much fun with this story. I would like to challenge all of you writers to write a Reid sick-fic, because they are fun. : ) Also, I would like to share with you the beginning of my newest story that I will upload shortly and inform you about some of the other projects I've been working on.**

**My next full-length story (entitled **_**Down Poor**_**) is about a local case where several children have gone missing and after one body turns up it's a race against the clock for them to find the others before it's too late. Here is the opening paragraph:**

**"**

**8:00 a.m.**

**Cold and wet – two things that Spencer Reid separately loathed, even worse was when they combined their powers to create freezing rain. As Reid ran into the building he noticed all of his clothes were sticking to his body revealing his thin frame and matting his hair to his head. He shivered trying to rid himself of the excess water before opening the door.**

**"Hey Pretty Boy, did you just get out of the shower?" Morgan joked as he and Garcia walked in through the open door with an umbrella protecting them from the water.**

**"**

**I'm also working on a one-shot being uploaded later tonight called **_**Con Te Partiro**_**, in which Morgan and Garcia talk about how they really feel for each other.**

**The final thing I'm working on is a multi-chaptered story in which Morgan and Reid are living together and in a steady relationship until one day when Morgan leaves unexpectedly. The story is told in the present day but each chapter ends with a flashback of when Morgan and Reid were living together. I'm very happy to announce that **_**they'recomingtotakemeaway**_** is going to work with me on finding some awesome quotes for this new piece.**

**Finally if anyone has suggestions for a story they would like to see written (like a sequel to this), an idea they would like to share, if someone would like to work together or if someone just wants to talk please message me anytime. Thanks again for reading. Cheers. **

**-Emma**


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